The Many Advantages Of Handwriting vs. Typing

When I first went to boarding school, at the tender age of seven, little did I think that the act of handwriting would one day be deemed beneficial, when faster, more legible means of putting your thoughts down on (virtual) paper would be available.

At school, the only writing implements we were allowed to use were pencils (which I always disliked using, for some reason) and what used to be known as dip pens. (Biros, or ink pens as I believe Americans call them, were available, but using them was frowned upon, to the point where, if you were unlucky, you were made to rewrite all of your work using a dip pen instead.)

For those who are unaware of dip pens, they are like a primitive fountain pen – they use a nib, but unlike a fountain pen, there is no ink reservoir, so you have to keep dipping the nib into a container of ink every few seconds, hence the name.

And if you are one of the 10% of people who write left-handed, as I am, then these dip pens were a nightmare. You ended up with a permanent ink stain on the outside edge of your left hand, because you are effectively writing in the wrong direction. (Right-handers place their hand on the paper to the right of what they have just written, which is fine, but left-handers are always placing their hand on words they have just written, where the ink is still wet.)

Constant (and I do mean constant) use of blotting paper was one solution, but it slowed your writing speed down to something akin to that of a mediaeval monk illuminating the scriptures.

Other options involve moving your hand, either above what you’ve written, which makes your hand resemble a deformed claw, or below what you’ve written, which is just plain awkward. Both of these can make your writing slant backwards, which is another reason why it can be harder to read than right-handed writing.

This is why I came to dislike handwriting intensely – it was messy, it made writing harder (to do and to read), and it was slow.

However, recent research indicates that writing by hand has significant benefits for your brain, and that’s what this article is all about.

So, what are the benefits of writing by hand?

Better Focus

Also, when you are using an electronic device, there are constant notifications from email and social media, for example, not to mention the ready availability of so many distractions. Writing by hand reduces (or removes) these opportunities to become distracted.

Calming

It has been shown that writing by hand can have a calming effect on the brain.

Easier Mind Mapping

Mind mapping is a great technique for recording ideas and organizing them, and there are plenty of electronic options (both software and websites) to help you do this.

The problem is, if you are not careful, you can spend more time on the mechanics of using the mind mapping software than you do on the key activity – documenting ideas.

When you create a mind map by hand, not only are you more engaged, but because you’re doing it using nothing more than pen and paper, there are fewer interruptions caused by having to break off and use one of the software’s functions.

If it’s really important that your finished mind map be shared with others, you can always transcribe it using software at a later day and make it look as pretty as you want.

Encouraging Creativity

Once again, the increased use of your brain can help stimulate your creativity.

This means it can enhance the benefits of brainstorming.

Traditional brainstorming has a group of people calling out their ideas, with a moderator writing those ideas down on a whiteboard.

However, this can be slow, because the moderator can only record one idea at once, and there is a chance you’ll forget your idea before you have the opportunity to call it out.

If you write down your own ideas on paper, you won’t lose any ideas, and you may be able to write down several of them in the time it takes for the moderator to record just one.

Also, typing into a computer is a more mechanical and sterile task, which shuts down the creative parts of your brain.

Full Brain Engagement

When you write, rather than type, more of the motor skills areas of your brain are engaged.

It also requires the use of both hemispheres of your brain.

Helping Deal With Dyslexia

One language specialist claims that writing by hand, which forces better use of memory and overall brain functions, can help with dyslexia.

Improved Memory

Handwriting, particularly cursive, has been scientifically shown to increase your ability to remember information.

Increased Comprehension

Studies have shown that students who take notes by hand, as opposed to typing them into a computer, have a better understanding of the subject matter.

Note that this takes into account the fact that when you type, you can take more notes, because typing is (or can be) a lot faster.

One reason for improved comprehension is that, because you cannot possibly record what’s being said word for word, you are forced to paraphrase the information in your own words, which means you also have to understand the subject matter before being able to summarize it.

Typing, on the other hand, does not require this level of mental juggling.

It Makes You A Better Writer

There are many famous authors (e.g. J K Rowling, Joyce Carol Oates, Truman Capote) who prefer to write their first drafts by hand, only having it transcribed to an electronic version when it’s time for re-writing and editing.

It’s More Personal

While you can send somebody an email or text message, that’s not nearly as personal as receiving something in the mail (or snail mail as it’s often called these days).

And the note or letter you send that way could be typewritten too – but there is nothing quite like receiving a letter that somebody has taken the time to write by hand.

And if you’ve never written a letter to your girlfriend or wife (and I don’t mean a greeting card – I’m talking about a real letter, penned in your hand, telling them how much they mean to you), you really should try it! Trust me on this!

Mental Aging Retardation

The fact that handwriting uses more of your brain means it help keeps your brain sharp and active, which has been proven to slow down the effects of aging.

More Involvement

When you type on a computer, you know that you can go back and fix mistakes, edit it, etc., but when you write by hand, you put more effort into making sure you record exactly what you want to say.

Analysis has also shown that handwriting requires you to consider each component of each letter (e.g. each downstroke), and the process of doing that involves pathways within your brain that are close to, or even go through, the parts of your brain that handle emotions. Pressing keys on a keyboard does not do that – hence the reason you feel more detached when typing.

Reducing Symptoms Of Anxiety And Depression

I’ve talked elsewhere about the benefits of writing down your feelings and thoughts (e.g. journalling), but this is even more effective when you do that on actual paper, rather than in an electronic device.

Studies have shown that writing for a quarter to half an hour per day can produce measurable benefits in both physical and mental health.

Wider Range Of Vocabulary

Because handwriting is slower and engages more of your brain, it gives you time to come up with the most appropriate word, rather than one that will just do which is often what happens when you type.

Cursive vs. Block / Print

Again, when I was at school in the mid-1960s, if we’d done our homework in print rather than cursive, we would be told to do it again.

These days, cursive seems to be dying out, and you may well ask whether that’s a good thing or not.

It certainly takes longer to learn how to write in cursive – all of those intricate letter shapes, and working out where to join the various letters together.

But one of the benefits is the learning of fine motor control skills – something that block printing does not require to the same degree.

Block printing is almost like the human version of typewriting (on the old-fashioned machines, I mean) – each letter is independent of all the others, it never alters it shape, and is therefore somewhat impersonal.

Cursive, on the other hand, is unique to each individual, and through the shape and positioning of the letters, you can, unwittingly or deliberately, reveal your emotions. A sentence written by somebody who is angry can look very different to the same sentence written by a person who is happy or in love.

Other claimed benefits of cursive writing include:

1. It promotes a better understanding of complete words, because you are writing entire words in one continuous motion, instead of separate letters.
2. It helps you focus on the content more.
3. It engages both halves of the brain. (Coincidentally, so does reading cursive script.)
4. It helps you learn to spell better, because, again, you’re working in entire words and not separate letters.

In terms of speed, there are those who claim cursive is faster, because of its flowing nature, while others demonstrate they can block print just as fast. The truth is probably that it all depends on how much you practise.

Research also indicates that children learn more effectively when movement is involved, and the motor skills required to write in cursive have more movement involved than block printing does.

Since cursive is rarely taught in schools these days (with the occasional exception, such as some Montessori schools), if you want your child to learn this skill, you’re likely going to have to do it yourself at home.

Children can be taught to write in cursive as young as four, although it appears to be best if they learn in progressive stages.

Conclusion

As you can see, handwriting confers many benefits over typing, and most of these benefits stem from two key aspects of writing by hand:

1. It engages more of the brain.
2. It’s slower.

Additionally, cursive writing is generally regarded as being better able to deliver these benefits than block printing – largely because of the above two factors, but also because of the need for fine motor skills.

It’s the incredibly slow speed of handwriting that, for me, has always made it an unattractive option. Being left-handed only exacerbates this because I think it places even more limits on your speed – if you want it to be legible, that is.

Yes, I can write legibly, but it takes an inordinate amount of mental energy to do so, and I do have to write incredibly slowly.

But I do appreciate the benefits, and while I cannot see myself ever handwriting articles such as this (and then having somebody transcribe them for me), I think journalling by hand would be of more value.

One final thought – I wonder if improvement in speech recognition technology will change any of this? Will it offer more or fewer benefits than handwriting and/or typing? Never having found any such software that is effective for me, I suppose time will tell.

Additional Resources

These are suggestions for those who wish to delve deeper into any of the above:

1. Better Handwriting
2. Cursive Handwriting For Kids